WHDH to file appeal in suit against Comcast

Bob McGovern Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Credit: WHDH-TV

WHDH-TV owner Ed Ansin (File)

WHDH will appeal a judge’s decision to dismiss its lawsuit against media behemoth Comcast Corp., according to documents filed in federal court.

The Boston TV station, which is fighting to keep its affiliation with NBC, had its case tossed by Judge Richard G. Stearns last month.

Comcast indicated earlier that it was ending its contract with WHDH at the end of 2016 with plans to launch its own new local TV station, NBC Boston, in 2017, prompting a lawsuit from Ed Ansin, the 80-year-old owner of WHDH.

WHDH filed its notice of appeal in the U.S. District Court in Boston yesterday, according to court documents.

Stearns dismissed the suit because WHDH could not prove “any actionable harm attributable to Comcast.”

“It is simply an indurate consequence of doing business in a competitive and unsentimental market place,” Stearns wrote. “For the foregoing reasons, defendant’s motion to dismiss is allowed.”

Join the Conversation